Ruel Brathwaite is a tall, talented and tenacious fast bowler who has the determination to succeed that is so often lacking in the new generation of Caribbean cricketers. He hails from Barbados where he has represented the island at Under-15 and Under-19 levels and played one game for the full side against the West Indies at the age of 20.

He was spotted by the former Sussex and England batsman Bill Athey who brought him over to the UK to study at Dulwich and then went on to Loughborough where worked with Graham Dilley, the former England bowling coach. Dilley described him as "something of a cult hero on campus" and "one of the nicest men you could meet". More importantly, his natural ability impressed and his opening spells contributed much to Loughborough winning the British Universities Championship in 2007.

He also netted with the West Indies during their tour of England that summer and played for Surrey's second XI. He did enough to grab the attention of several counties, but remained largely a club and University cricketer. Brathwaite has asserted his dedication to the West Indies cause and vowed that he would return to Barbados after completing his studies, much to the relief of the Barbados Cricket Association. He popped up on West Indies' radar during Zimbabwe's tour in early 2010, playing for the University of West Indies Vice-Chancellor's XI, but returned to England for a summer of club cricket. Towards the end of the season, he found his way into Durham's squad and in October of that year signed a two-year contract with them.

The following year, he was an early-season regular in their Championship side, finishing the season with 26 wickets at 25.23, twice taking five in an innings. Early in 2012 he qualified to play as an English player but was used only sparingly, making only one Championship appearance. In 2013 he went on trial at Hampshire and played the final three matches of the season, taking six wickets.
ESPNcricinfo staff